By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
HOBART – A final plat for the fifth addition to the Hemlock Creek subdivision was approved April 20 by the village board.
Tosa Development proposed a plat to create 53 new single-family lots with 31 lots located within Hobart and the other lots located in the Town of Lawrence.
Of the lots within Hobart, Director of Planning and Code Compliance Todd Gerbers said they will be located on two parcels, which need to be rezoned because the final plat reduced lot sizes similar to those of an R-1 Residential district and the current property zoning is ER Estate Residential and A-1 Agricultural.
In addition to rezoning the parcels, Gerbers said conditions of approval include a written agreement between the village and the developer regarding the private construction of any proposed public utilities and roadways, as well as payment of the park fee of $300 per lot for all lots determined to be located or assessed within Hobart.
“The reason why I state that is it says 31 lots (are in Hobart),” he said. “However, there’s five of them that are actually intersected by the municipal boundary between the village and the town… It’s something that I’ll work with the assessor on to make sure we have the correct number of lots, and then they’ll pay the park fee according to that.”
Gerbers said the final plat was revised from the preliminary version to include a maximum of 53 new lots with a minimum of 100 feet of frontage per lot and eliminating a previously proposed cul-de-sac by extending the roadway in the subdivision out to a new intersection at Nathan Drive.
The board set a public hearing on the proposed rezoning for May 18, when another public hearing on a conditional use permit to construct an artificial lake at 1570 South Overland Road will also be held.
Traffic concerns
Village staff presented short- and long-term projects to address the traffic and safety concerns of residents in the area of Lear Lane and Copilot Way.
The board directed staff to proceed with a plan to make improvements, which in the short term include installing signage and street markings to slow traffic and alert motorists to the possible presence of children utilizing Fontaine Family Park, as well as increased patrols by the police department.
Village Administrator Aaron Kramer said a possible long-term improvement includes installing Autumn Joy Drive in 2022 from Copilot Way to South Pine Tree Road as a capital project to allow for a second route for traffic, as well as providing additional access to the Southwind Estates subdivision for police and fire service.
Kramer said the initial estimate for installing Autumn Joy Drive is about $146,000, and if the village wished to extend the current water service to South Pine Tree, it would cost around another $86,000.
“It would be paid for almost entirely by Tax Increment District No. 2, meaning the tax dollars and increment from that neighborhood is paying for this road,” he said.
“It’s hard… for us to look at some residents and say, ‘We’re going to spend $250,000 on a road that might solve a problem.’ Public safety, it will probably solve a problem, but traffic, it might.”
Kramer said several residents contacted the village with concerns about safety issues due to increased traffic in the vicinity of the Lear Lane subdivision and the Southwind Estates subdivision, which is now under construction.
“Based on 36 of my closest neighborhood friends here, we believe that there would be value in adding that (Autumn Joy Drive),” said Amy Smith, who lives on Lear Lane.
Though Autumn Joy Drive will be included in the village’s list of capital projects for next year, Kramer said the 2022 budget won’t be approved until the fall.
“If the cost of roads go through the roof, and I come back next year and (say the cost to build Autumn Joy Drive is now $350,000), again, it’s a cost-benefit analysis (on whether to build it),” he said.
Village President Rich Heidel said it’s fair to say the board and staff favor installing Autumn Joy Drive, which could be built next year.
“Nobody here is going to give you a 100 percent ironclad guarantee, but that’s certainly the direction we’re headed in,” he said. “Aaron’s got a good funding plan put together here, and with (Public Works Director Jerry Lancelle’s) help, I think we can do it. Certainly, the short-term fixes make sense.”
Airport zoning
The board approved a change to the I-3 Airport Industrial District in the zoning code.
Kramer said the zoning amendment is a “housekeeping item” requested by officials at Austin Straubel Airport for the village code to be more in line with airport and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations.
The change requires a developer to submit a notice of proposed construction or alteration to the FAA and also follow the requirements and recommendations contained in an aeronautical study, which include, but are not limited to, height restrictions, marking and lighting, and wildlife attractant mitigation.
Appointments
The board approved an ordinance amendment to define the process of reappointing members to a board, commission or committee and the process where members wouldn’t be reappointed.
Kramer said the amendment states the board president has the option to reappoint members upon the conclusion of their terms, subject to confirmation by the board, because members are not automatically reappointed.
Appointments approved by the board include: Public Works and Utilities (three-year term), Tim Carpenter, Donald Dahlstrom (alternate); Planning and Zoning Commission (three-year term), Dave Dillenburg, Jeff Ambrosius and Tom Dennee; Site Review Committee (three-year term), Dillenburg, Dave Barancyk; Parks and Recreation Committee (three-year term), Laura Lear and Tammy Zittlow; Board of Fire Commissioners (five-year term), Dennee; Ethics Board (three-year term), Greg Jerlinga and Jeff Johnson; Board of Review (five-year term), Heidel; and Board of Appeals (three-year term), Chris Igler and Johnson.